RCN Scotland Board has today (Friday 20 April) taken the decision to wait to consult members working in the NHS in Scotland on the proposed pay framework until negotiations between the health trade unions, NHS employers and Scottish Government have concluded.

RCN members in England will be voting on the pay deal from Monday 23 April. The RCN had initially decided to ask members in the other UK countries, if they would endorse the England deal, to indicate levels of support if a similar deal was negotiated in their respective country.

This approach was agreed to act as a lever to encourage devolved governments to deliver a similar three year deal and pay structure reform, and to mitigate the risks of significantly different pay structures and terms and conditions of employment emerging in different parts of the UK.

The Scottish Government has since agreed in principle to the revised pay structure. In considering this, combined with the joint negotiating position adopted by the health trade unions in Scotland, the RCN Scotland board agreed to wait and consult members once the full details of the offer in Scotland are clear.

Theresa Fyffe, Director, RCN Scotland said: “A pay deal for NHS staff in Scotland has yet to be negotiated. The RCN board took the decision that members working in the NHS in Scotland should be consulted on the final proposal once the full details are available.

“Understanding members’ views on the England deal would have given the RCN powerful leverage if the Scottish Government had decided to go its own way. However the Scottish Government has committed to paying NHS staff in Scotland ‘at least the same’ as their colleagues in England.

“As a result the board agreed it was better to wait for clarity on what is being offered before asking members to give their views.”

Elspeth Caithness, RCN UK Council - Scotland representative said: “Following the success of our ‘Scrap the cap’ campaign, members across the NHS in Scotland have rightly been engaging in the discussion around what the pay deal being offered in England might mean for them. We want to make sure members are in a position to make an informed decision about their future pay – once the full details of what is being offered in Scotland are available.”